earthreading English language, Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost stories, Juvenile Fiction, North America

Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Elatsoe was written by Darcie Little Badger in 2020. Written for a juvenile audience and set in an alternative America, where ghosts, vampires, and magic are all real, this story follows the story of young Elatsoe, or Ellie, who can bring ghosts back from the realm of the Underworld. After her cousin dies in what she believes to be a homicide, Ellie attempts to use all her ghostly powers to uncover the truth about her cousin’s death – before it’s too late.

Darcie Little Badger is an enrolled member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. She has a PhD in oceanography from Texas A&M University. As her debut novel, Elatsoe has received rave reviews from NPR, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly. She is currently writing a comic series for Marvel, and lives in the United States.

earthreading English language, Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, North America, Prize Winners

Spokane Nation

The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian was written by Sherman Alexie in 2007. Aimed at a young adult audience, the novel follows the story of Junior, who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State (USA). Junior ends up leaving the school on the reservation and attends the neighboring all-white school nearby, where he is endlessly taunted for being Native American. Although a work of fiction, much of this story comes from Sherman Alexie’s personal experiences in an all-white high school growing up. The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Sherman Alexie was born in 1966. He grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State. Many of his experiences growing up on the reservation were used in The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. Sherman has written many short stories, collections of poetry, and memoirs. In 2018, he would have been awarded the American Library Association’s Carnegie Medal Award for nonfiction; however, he declined the award amid accusations of sexual misconduct from a woman Sherman claimed to have been a former lover. Sherman released a statement where he admitted to wrongdoings in the past, but denied the accusations of this particular woman. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington.

earthreading Asia, Books in a series, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction

South Korea

The color of earth by Kim Dong Hwa; translated by Lauren Na

The English version of The color of earth was written by Kim Dong Hwa in 2009 (translated by Lauren Na). It is the first in a trilogy also called The color of earth (sometimes incorrectly called Story of life in the golden fields) aimed at high school-aged readers. This title is considered a “manwha,” or comic book, and is incredibly popular in Korean culture. The story follows the life of a mother and daughter living in rural Korea in the late nineteenth century, and some of the joys and pains that come with growing up into a young woman. It was number two on the American Library Association’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011.

Kim Dong Hwa (also spelled Tong-hwa Kim, Kim Dong-hwa or Dong Hwa Kim in English) was born in South Korea in 1950, and as of this writing is still alive and working from Korea. He is a well-known writer and artist in South Korea, where he is considered a household name.